There was a lot at stake for Jose Rizal University during their double-overtime thriller against Lyceum of the Philippines University in the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Tuesday.
The Heavy Bombers were coming off back-to-back losses against San Sebastian College-Recoletos and San Beda University. If they allowed the Pirates to win the match, they would have gone on a three-game losing streak, and team morale would have hit an all-time low.
“Nag-prepare kami for LPU, not just for winning this game, but also for the morale of the whole team. If we had lost this game, morale might have taken a hit, but we didn’t know,” said Heavy Bombers assistant coach Alex Callueng.
The Heavy Bombers squandered an 11-point advantage against Lyceum and allowed two careless fouls on Enoch Valdez to force overtime.
They managed to survive the first OT session, but they had to play the second overtime without their floor general, JL Delos Santos.
Delos Santos had been a crucial part of the Bombers’ offense, dishing out a game-high 10 assists. Without Delos Santos on the court, JRU was desperate to find someone to keep the offense alive. In his place, JRU fielded sophomore guard Jonathan Medina.
As they faced a one-point disadvantage with the clock winding down in the second overtime, a loose ball found its way into Medina’s hands. Medina went up with a one-handed push shot that softly landed against the glass, giving JRU the 88-87 win.
Most importantly, Medina’s heroics prevented another winnable game from slipping out of JRU’s hands and halted a potential soul-crushing three-game losing streak.
“Kanina ko pa pinagdadasal bago dumating palang sa Filoil, pinagdadasal ko na manalo. Sumunod lang kami kay Coach Louie at sa coaching staff namin. Tiwala lang talaga, puso,” shared Medina, a 20-year-old guard out of Pampanga.
For the coaching staff, the most important factor in the win was not Medina’s last-second shot but the way Medina and the rest of JRU stuck together despite Lyceum’s run.
“I think the main key is that we held on together, hindi nag-give up yung team. Of course, siyempre, double overtime nakakapagod eh. The preaching on the bench was always to hold onto each other, work together, and eventually, we hoped to come out as winners, and we did,” explained Callueng.
Thanks to Medina, the Heavy Bombers have gained some momentum as they head into their final matchup of the first round against Arellano University on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at the Filoil Ecooil Centre.
